Did You Hear the Bomb Last Night?

We can still hear the echoes of last night's bomb that killed 20 innocent people.

I had just ended a conversation with a colleague in Los Angeles when I heard the unmistakable explosion. It was without a doubt a huge bomb, and it was close by.

I live in the neighborhood Arzei Habira, approximately 100 meters from where the attack took place.

It was a suicide bomber in the midst of a jam-packed #2 bus taking mostly families back from prayers at the Western Wall, a popular pastime during summer vacation. It's the bus I take home every night from my work at Aish HaTorah which is located in Old City's Jewish Quarter.

After insuring that all my kids were home safe, I ran out to the site of the attack.

You do not want to go to the site of a terrorist attack if you don't have to.

Two years ago I was forced to look for my 14-year-old son amongst the victims of a deadly attack in Beit Yisrael, a neighborhood that is right next to where last night's bombing took place. It was Saturday night and my son went to pray at a shul on the street that was bombed. He wasn't home yet.

I will never forget the sight of a paramedic approaching a three-year-old boy blown 50 feet by the impact of the blast and then turning away to help others after he realized the boy was dead. That scene put me into shock. I later found my son who was, thank God, fine.

I did not want to go to a similar scene unless it was necessary, but on the other hand, you can't be on the doorstep of a deadly terrorist attack and not go to see if your help is needed.

Although I was there within two minutes of the blast, there were already many emergency and police personnel on the scene.

Although I was there within two minutes of the blast, there were already many emergency and police personnel on the scene. I blessed their dedication and decided the best thing I could do was step back and get out of their way.

Standing there absorbing the scene, I felt so helpless. I could not help those suffering immediately in front of me, and I could not think of a way to stop the insane path of the Road Map. America goes to war against terror and then pressures Israel to make a deal with Mahmoud Abbas who repeatedly states that he has no intention of dismantling the terror groups responsible for the murder and maiming of thousands of innocent people -- and scores of children in last night's attack.

But we can do something about it; we must do something about it. It is not hopeless; we can change the situation.

When Joshua came to conquer the land of Israel, he sent two spies who ended up being hidden and protected by Rachav, a prostitute.

Our sages teach us that Rachav heard about God's miraculous redemption of the Jewish people in Egypt and His splitting of the Red Sea. She heard the meaning of these two events, integrating the reality that the God of the Jewish people exists and that He is the one and only God to whom we should give our allegiance.

Rachav made that decision upon hearing of those events when they first occurred, but trapped in the depravity of Jericho, she was unable to fully act upon her decision until 40 years later when God brought the Jewish people into the land. The two spies sent by Joshua came to her house and made a pact to save her and her family. In the end, her family was saved and she married Joshua. All of this was orchestrated by God because of the decision she had made 40 years earlier.

Rachav shows us that decisions create realities, but sometimes they take time to come to fruition. She heard the underlying message of events and made her commitment.

Will we?

It's easy to feel that the situation is hopeless and give up. Rachav shows us that we always have the power to make decisions and the Almighty will move mountains in order to bring our decisions to fruition.

We can still hear the echoes of last night's bomb that killed 20 innocent people. Listen to its message and make a decision to be different. The story of Rachav teaches us that our genuine commitment will make a difference.

The Talmud lists a number of calamities that will befall the Jewish people in the period leading up to the Messianic era. It ends with statement that we have no one to rely on except our Father in Heaven.

The Brisker Rav explains that many people mistakenly believe that this concluding statement is the antidote to the calamities listed -- there is no one to rely on except our Father in Heaven. He points out that this is actually part of the same list and is, in fact, the culmination of the calamities, not their antidote. One of the greatest tragedies is for the Jewish people when beset with crises to respond by saying, "All you have to is rely on God." Yes, we need to rely on the Almighty, but we also need to hear the message and undertake, at the very least, the decision to change.

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About the Author

Rabbi Eric Coopersmith is CEO of Aish International. Originally from Toronto, Eric received rabbinic ordination from Aish HaTorah and the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. In 1996 he became CEO, working closely with Rabbi Noah Weinberg zt"l to develop strategy and manpower for Aish International and the Jerusalem Yeshiva. He was formerly the North American director of the Discovery Seminars, and compiled Aish's kiruv primer, The Eye of a Needle. In addition to administrative duties, he is also a lecturer at Yeshiva Aish HaTorah and the Executive Learning Center.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 14

(14)
.,
August 27, 2003 12:00 AM

Sobering.
Truly sobering....
"Hamakom yinkam damam!!"

(13)
Anonymous,
August 26, 2003 12:00 AM

brought tears to my eyes

The article so full of Torah views most affected me when I read the paragraph where the Rabbi went only a few minutes after the explosion to the site of the tragedy and already there were so many Frum Yidden helping out their brothers in need. It is so beautiful to read that and it brought tears to my eyes.
Thank you for the hope.

(12)
C Landrum,
August 24, 2003 12:00 AM

Did you hear the bomb

Oh yes, we heard it, even in America. We hear the pain, the cries, the great sadness.
We hear of this duplicitous "road map to peace"...and marvel at the insanity of it. Many of us wonder why it is President Bush vows to bring all terrorists to justice, yet holds Israel back, we wonder why now, almost 2 years after September 11, President Bush JUST NOW seized Hamas finances. We wonder why he doesn't force Abbas to disarm militant, murderous, islamic groups (lower case "i" intentional). We wonder why in the world he seems to speak out of both sides of his mouth.
Long live Israel.
C Landrum

(11)
Jim Coetzee,
August 22, 2003 12:00 AM

We mourn the death of harmless and innocent

How long must your people, G-d, suffer like this? Please we ask you, please intervene mightily for those who are left behind and give them Shalom. We mourn the death of the harmles and innocent in the land of Israel at this time and wish to give our heartfeld condolences to those family memmbers who stay behind. We truly rely on You,
G-d, to help your people now!

(10)
Steven,
August 22, 2003 12:00 AM

To most of the world Jewish life is cheap!!!

Just imagine Jews having a little to do with some Arabs getting killed on their way from some prayer. No Jew would feel safe anywhere, we would be hunted by the whole world as nazis. They want us to keep on getting hurt, killed and do nothing about it because if we do, we end up guilty no matter what.

(9)
Joe Lieb,
August 21, 2003 12:00 AM

Cries of Pain

The sound of a mother's cry as she holds her mutilated baby in her hands. The cries of pain, as people's limbs lie shattered in the street. Innocent people like you and me. We cannot continue to allow this to happen.

(8)
Anonymous,
August 21, 2003 12:00 AM

Storm the Gates of Heaven

The Brisker Rav's insight is a piercing reminder that IF we get to the point where, as a people and as individual Jews, we believe that tikkun is up to HaShem and that we, as His people, can do nothing to better our own circumstances, then we are doomed to failure.

Change is a not a six-letter word: it is a four-letter word. It is a dirty, coarse reminder that we MUST change our habits and behaviours if we want the Master of the Universe to have mercy on us and our situation.

May we merit the courage that it takes to (a) recognize our OWN faults, not those of our acquaintances, (b) commit to making positive changes in the way that we think and act towards one another and (c) storm the gates of heaven for the strength to not backslide, to continue along the paths of goodness that will ultimately usher in the coming of the Moshiach.

(7)
Jeff Dunetz,
August 20, 2003 12:00 AM

Yashir Koach !

(6)
Anonymous,
August 20, 2003 12:00 AM

I like the message that this article conveyed, I strongly feel that we need to hear the message that Ha-shem is trying to send us and to change. Thanks for an interesting article.

(5)
Anonymous,
August 20, 2003 12:00 AM

How True!

We part of Klal Yisrael all grief the terrible bus bombing and carnage that has just happened.
The Rabbi's article rings loud and true. It is a pity Israel's political leaders don't take action to make sure The Land of Israel is safe for everyone. Why talk peace when the other side has no intention of peace? Arafat talks peace when speaking English but in Arabic he spews forth the greatness of being a "Shahib" Matyrdom.

The present situation and talk of "road Map" for peace only embolden the terorists and leads to more loss of innocent Jewish life.

I watched the very notable documentary "Relentless" on Tisha Baav and it shows how we Jews want peace but the Oslo Accords and everything after it have led to hundreds of deaths! (Rachmana LeZlan)
We saw Arafat and his cronies talking in English about peace and in Arabic about liberating all of Palestine (haifa, Jaffa and other cities in Israel proper)
We need the political leaders to stop talking peace there can be no peace with the Palestinians and their corrupt leadership who are intent only on destruction and their evil plans to retake the whole of Israel (Heaven forbid!)
Rabbi - how right you are - but maybe the political leadership should be sent a copy of your article not us "true" believers who regularly read aish.com

(4)
Lee Tracy,
August 20, 2003 12:00 AM

Needed Message

I read Sherri Mandell's article last night, crying as I read her account of her son's murder and funeral, and her experience sitting shiva, and tried to imagine the hundreds of people right now experiencing these feelings and despair in Jerusalem, and those in Baghdad in a similar place of unbearable pain and loss. And last night, I felt so hopeless, so powerless to do anything to change things. But as Rabbi Tarfon says, we may not be able to complete the task, but we are not free to not participate. We must do all we can. I certainly must do more to make my voice heard, to donate to the victims, to stand by Israel at all costs.

(3)
Anonymous,
August 20, 2003 12:00 AM

I agree action and trust in G-d works together. And we can make a difference if we listen to the messages and are committed to making a difference for good. of course the results might not be immediate, but they will come.
Helping our fellow Jews, introspection and prayer all are helpful.

(2)
anonymous,
August 20, 2003 12:00 AM

no words for this article

whatcan we say about this tragedy I only think thera are no more words only actions we pray only for the pepople who are suferring please we all ask G-d for this was the last attack before the meshiaj will come.

(1)
Manuel,
August 20, 2003 12:00 AM

Softening the impact as usual

Biased press around the world, including CNN used the attack on Iraq to minimize printing publishing space to soften the impact of the Jerusalem terrorist attack

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!